PhD in Molecular Genetics and Genomics - Graduate Research

Our genomes encode the information that makes us human, and also much of the information that accounts for differences between individuals. Research in the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics strives to understand the molecular mechanisms that account for the interpretation of genomic information. Center research is laying the foundation for realizing the promise of personalized medicine, where treatments and preventative measures can be tailored to individuals based on their unique genetic makeup and environment. Students in the PhD Program, MD/PhD Program, and MS Program in Molecular Genetics and Genomics participate in this research, culminating in a PhD Dissertation or Master's Thesis.

Center Faculty and students focus on a range of mechanistic studies including how RNAs and proteins encoded by the genome function individually and within networks that control cellular behavior; genetic contributions to specific diseases, from diabetes and cancer to cardiovascular and neurological diseases; and interactions between genomes and the environment that may help explain differences in disease susceptibility and response to treatments and preventative measures.

Center laboratories use a wide range of approaches to address these problems. Center researchers and graduate students use human populations, patient samples, and model organisms to study individual genes and entire genomes. Modern Molecular Genetics and Genomics research takes advantage of genomic sequence data and functional genomics data. Increasingly, genomics researchers combine laboratory work with computational approaches to collect and analyze large sets of genomics and functional genomics data.

More information about areas of research and faculty laboratories in which students may conduct dissertation research can be found: